A man who had documents in his bedroom on how to make explosives was today found not guilty of IRA membership.
Mr Gary Roche (29), from St Lawrence's Road, Chapelizod in Dublin, had been charged under the Offences Against the State Act after a raid on his house by the Special Detective Unit on November 4th last year.
At the Special Criminal Court, three judges took 20 minutes to find him not guilty of the charges.
"You are free to go, Mr Roche," said Mr Justice Diarmuid O'Donovan, presiding. He said there was no doubt attached to the evidence of Detective Chief Superintendent Philip Kelly, who said he believed Mr Roche was a member of the IRA on the day of the raid.
However, Mr Justice O'Donovan dismissed the two other main elements of the prosecution case - the discovery of documents in Mr Roche's bedroom on how to make smokescreen, mercury, gunpowder, nitro-glycerine and gelatine and the transcript of Mr Roche's garda interview, in which he repeatedly denied any involvement with the IRA.
PA